Portland to be moved

[luke]

http://www.oregonlive.com/business/o...l=7&thispage=1

Portland Mayor Tom Potter on Thursday asked the Parks Bureau to investigate moving Portland International Raceway out of a dense residential area in North Portland to limit the impact of noise on nearby residents.

Potter's request, near the end of a City Council hearing to determine a start time for a major race at PIR this summer, has the support of the three other commissioners at the meeting, including Dan Saltzman, who oversees parks.

Commissioner Randy Leonard, who made a similar proposal last year, said after the meeting that he wants the city to move PIR to the Rivergate Industrial district, perhaps by swapping property with a landowner there.

[Snrub]

Portland isn't a track that is overly condusive to CC racing so if they build a better track elsewhere it wouldn't bother me.

[drewdawg727]

Theyre complaining now?
Havent we raced at that same venue for over 10 years now?

[Amar7605]

I agree - if there can be a better racing venue for Champ Car in Portland, than I am all for it. PIR looks like a glorified karting track to me anyways :-)

And I also agree that it's peculiar that the city is complaining now, and not sooner. If it was such a problem for 10 years, then why didn't they try to move the race somewhere else in the past? I mean, why now, especially when the race is scheduled in 2 months!

[luke]

Well I guess there is quite a bit of history at Portland, it isn't the greatest track ever and the races aren't usually the best (apart from the action packed wet race in '97) but the event is an established one and in an important market.

[BootsOntheSide]

I'm sure you could compose a new circuit layout which would be just as 'thrilling' and 'open' as the existing one without very much effort.

[SALEEN S7R]

Yes you probably could Boots but that really isnt the point, Portland is a fantastic track with a lot of history and people like it. Yes another track could be designed to replicate it but it woudn't be the same. Someone could, and some people indeed have tried to replicate Spa-Francochamps at various venues throughout the world but IMO they are nothing like as good as the real thing.

[Knowlesy]

Yes, no track can simply be "replicated". This is not mass-manufacturing!

[luke]

Even if you were to re replicate a circuit, you lose all the history and character, it's just stupid and pointless. And what's too say your gonna get the same atmosphere?

[Muzza]

Having been to the Portland International Raceway a few times (also to watch CART races), it is by far the worst-kept circuit of any major racing series in the world. Its facilities have been in dire need of improvements for more than ten years now. Control room, press room, supply of utilities to teams and paddock are worse than club tracks like Buttonwillow.

The only thing in shape at Portland are the grandstands - and that's just because they are out-of-the-shelf items. Frankly, replacing the Portland International Raceway by a new, nearby, purpose-built circuit (and not by a street track) could only be good.

[paul-collins]

No doubt the people have been crabbing about this since the track moved into their back yard, you know, back in 1960.

Muzza's point is a good one, though - would anyone really miss it? I suppose the series who use it would if only because there aren't any other PNW tracks worth considering, so no way to get to those markets.

[jondownunder]

I'm not a huge fan of Portland (judging only from watching races on TV over the years), but the reasons for proposing a new circuit are ridiculous, and complaints about noise seem ever more common... just like at Monza and Castle Combe, the absolute cretins who complain about noise should not have any influence on things. What the hell do they expect if they choose to live near a long established circuit?

[luke]

Well in my opinion, Portland's only real hope of keeping a top open wheel event would be if there is no merge and it would stay on the Champ Car schedule. Certainly after a year of a merged series at the leats, you'd expect the owners to drop the races which lose out in both attendance and money.

[drewdawg727]

at least we have Elkhart Lake back...........

</off-topic>

[luke]

Which is worth 5 other road courses put together.

[racerkeke]

If we're losing PIR I'd love to see a Champ car do the switchbacks down the hill from Big Indy at Pacific Raceways in Kent, WA! I know the track isn't ever going to host a Champ race (if you think PIR's facilities are rough, you ain't seen nothing) but I love the elevation changes. And the fact that if you get Ice Station Zebra (T5) wrong you'd end up on the Burlington Northern tracks driver's right...

What worries me is the drive to bulldoze many of the old road courses in North America, mostly because of a bunch of NIMBYs who post-date the circuit.

keke

[Purist]

Luke, it depends on which five courses, but yeah, the only other road courses in North America that I consider to be near that level are Mosport, Road Atlanta, Watkins Glen, and Laguna Seca.

Honestly, I like a number of the features at PIR. Those moderate to fast corners at the end of the full front straight are interesting, particularly for the sportscars. That tight right-hander sets up the back stretch quite well, and the esse before the final corner is great.